Explained | How the U.S. turned a debate on gas stoves into a culture war
The Hindu
As things stand right now, the Biden administration is not coming after gas stoves used by Americans.
The story so far: It all began with a seemingly innocent study.
In December 2022, a paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health said that indoor gas stove used for cooking increased the risk of asthma among children. Such gas stoves are currently prevalent in 35% of American households. According to the study, around 12.7% of current childhood asthma cases in the US are attributable to gas stove use. The study was supported by non-profit organisation RMI and the National Cancer Institute.
Shortly after the publication, reports saying that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was contemplating a ban on gas stoves started doing the rounds. In an interview with Bloomberg published on January 9, CPSC commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said that products that cannot be made safe “can be banned”, saying that “any option is on the table.”
The statement led to a backlash, mostly from Republican leaders. Quoting Mr. Trumka Jr’s statement, Alabama representative Gary Palmer tweeted, “This type of power should never have been given to unelected bureaucrats and it is time for it to end.”
Senator Ted Cruz did not use many words and instead tweeted a graphic that read, “Come and take it,” with a star, imagery he previously invoked to tell people to continue with Thanksgiving celebrations when Covid-19 was at a peak in 2020. He also wore a mask with it to Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021.
A few Democrat leaders, too, expressed concerns about the prospective ban. Senator Joe Manchin called it a “recipe for disaster”.
“The federal government has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner,” he wrote on Twitter.
With a new government in place in Delhi, Singapore hopes to schedule the Ministerial Roundtable with India shortly, says Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. In an exclusive interview, he speaks about the impact of the elections on ties, the “missed opportunity” of RCEP and the new buzz around Andhra Pradesh’s capital Amaravati.